


Out of the Woods

by Miss_Dyana



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: ...well seven chapter slow burn anyway, Alternate Universe, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Inukag Week 2020, Slow Burn, mirsan arrive in chapter 2
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:29:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24615295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miss_Dyana/pseuds/Miss_Dyana
Summary: After the murder of Kikyo, the local priestess, the villagers start leaving offerings to the forest's god, who they think they've angered. Kagome, called to the village to replace her cousin, finds out, too late, just how far they're willing to go when they use her as the month's sacrifice. She decides not to go down without a fight — except that, instead of an angry god, she finds herself faced with a hungry half-demon, who's very annoyed he won't be getting a food offering for the month.“What the fuck are you doing here? Where’s my food?”“Oh I’m sorry, am I not a sacrifice satisfying enough?”
Relationships: Higurashi Kagome/InuYasha, Miroku/Sango (InuYasha)
Comments: 15
Kudos: 58





	1. Acceptance

**Author's Note:**

> Day one: Acceptance

The full moon shone high in the night sky, its soft light falling on empty streets and tightly shut windows. The villagers laid restless in their beds, waiting for the morning to come, pretending nothing would be happening tonight, pretending that they didn’t know about the white form dashing through the trees in the forest, pretending they hadn’t left him an offering that was far more than they had ever expected to pay. Pretending that the moonlight was enough to repel the darkness.

In the forest, things looked very different. Even the midday sun hardly pierced the thick foliage, and the moonlight barely reached the ground. Unlike the village, the forest was full of life and movement, even at night. Small demons, animals, owls and bats… It was like they knew the humans wouldn’t venture in here tonight, and they intended to make the most of it.

Sometimes, however, the noise was interrupted for just a moment. Silence fell brutally on the trees, as a flash of white appeared, only to vanish just as quickly, letting the animals resume to their lives as though nothing had happened. The silhouette stopped in front of a clearing, sniffing the air, as it checked its surrounding. Once it was satisfied, golden eyes focused on a bag laying on the ground. Good. Relief overtook it for just a second, before resolve flashed in its expression, and it jumped in.

The action was only a matter of seconds. The form jumped in, easily threw the bag over its shoulder, paused, only long enough for an exterior observer to discern red clothing underneath long white hair, before he ran away, just as fast. A blink, and you could have missed it.

It didn’t stop until it had reached a small river. There, it took north, going up stream, the sound of bare feet on rocks barely audible over the brook’s whisper. Finally, the shape slowed down as the banks of the river started to rise to form a small ravine. After one last glance over its shoulder to make sure it wasn’t being followed, the white shape disappeared behind the rocks.

As it walked to a small wooden hut by the lake that had formed there, the moonlight revealed a definitely humanoid shape, an impression that was only disrupted by the two triangular ears on top of its skull. He unceremoniously dropped the bag onto the grass, only to freeze when a yelp came from the bag.

Slowly, he knelt down next to it. The moonlight caught onto claws, and they briefly shone in the dark as he prepared to open it.

* * *

Kagome didn’t regain consciousness until she was moving. She remembered the men, showing up in her house, dragging her out as she asked, _begged,_ for an explanation. She remembered Mo, the leader of the village, telling her that he was sorry, that this was for the best, for everyone. She remembered the pain exploding in her temple. She remembered hitting the ground. And nothing after that.

She woke up, disoriented, unable to see, terror coursing through her veins, aware that someone was moving with her at full speed. Her stomach immediately protested against the up and down movement, and made it all the more difficult for her to fight her first instinct: to scream. She dug her teeth into her lower lip in order to keep from making a noise. Trying to calm herself down, she took a few quick breaths. That, however, only fueled her panic as she realized with horror how hard breathing through the cloth was, but she somehow managed not to have a complete meltdown. She _could_ breathe, after all. It was just difficult. She focused on that for a moment, and used that to consider her situation.

It wasn’t easy to form coherent thoughts, not with the fear that was infecting her system, and certainly not with the fact that she could feel the _youki_ of the person carrying her. Her _reiki_ was always under control, and she had never had any problem with it, but as it was, it took everything she had not to let it spike. If she did, it could have disastrous consequences.

She swallowed, and forced herself to focus. What did she know? The men of the village had knocked her out, but clearly, she wasn’t with them anymore. She closed her eyes, both to calm down her breathing and to try to remember Mo’s words.

“I’m really sorry, Kagome,” he’d sighed, shaking his head dejectedly. “If there was any other way, I would choose it, but you’re the village’s priestess, and I know you understand why you must offer yourself in this situation.”

“What are you talking about?” she’d asked, tensed, not aware of the gravity of the moment yet.

Her eyes shot open as his words finally came back to her.

“I’m sorry,” he’d repeated. “I believe what we need right now is a virgin sacrifice.”

‘The situation’ _had_ to be a reference to whatever lived in the forest. From what she’d been told when she had joined the village as a priestess, only a couple of weeks ago, in replacement for a distant cousin of hers who had been murdered, everyone believed it was a god that they had angered. They made regular offerings to it, once a month, on the full moon. And tonight was…

Gods. _She_ was tonight’s offering.

She had just realized it when she felt herself falling, and let out a cry of protest when she hit the ground. She closed her mouth shut, but the damage was done already.

The silence that followed was excruciating. She felt the bag being lifted as though she weighed nothing, and she knew that it wouldn’t be long until it was open. Concentrating her _reiki_ in her hands, Kagome prepared for a fight. She would _not_ go down easily. She knew herself, knew her power, and she didn’t doubt that she would be able to take out a demon, even without her bow, if she had the advantage of surprise.

But, as she prepared to deal it a death blow, knowing that she wouldn’t have another chance, she hesitated.

Maybe she was being unfair. Maybe it was her fear speaking, and not her reason. Her work was not to inflict death. It had never been, and in fact, she had always held strong beliefs against that practice. Kagome _knew_ that gods and demons could often be reasoned with, and that they would rarely go out of their way to attack humans unless provoked.

It was stupid, not to kill the demon instantly. An act of folly. It was taking a chance on something nonsensical.

Kagome took it anyway.

When the bag was finally pulled down, she held back her power, only sending a flash strong enough to make the demon jump back with a surprised growl. Sharp pain to her cheek told her she’d been hit, but she didn’t care as she stared at the supposed god that terrorized the village, and all she found was…

A young man. No older than herself, probably under twenty. Sure, his hair was white, his eyes seemed like liquid gold, and the dog-ears on his head weren’t human, but other than that— He was practically a _boy._ Skinny, almost to the point of being called scrawny, and his entire body tense as a bow string.

Kagome slowly lowered her hands, though she didn’t disperse her _reiki_ just yet. The man kept growling as he glared at her, claws in evidence. His eyes moved over her clothes, a priestess’ garment, and the growl only became louder.

“What the _fuck_ are you doing here? Where’s my food?”

Fear was soon replaced by anger, and Kagome shot him a death glare that would have made most men cower. He didn’t react to it — she hadn’t expected him to. Clearly, he was not ‘most men’.

“Oh I’m _sorry,_ am I not a sacrifice _satisfying_ enough?”

“Sacrifice?” he repeated with a frown. “The hell sort of sacrifice are you? Am I supposed to— eat you?”

People didn’t eat other people, did they? He couldn’t say he was tempted, even if she smelled a lot like fresh meat.

“No, I’m—” Kagome rolled her eyes. She had not expected to have to explain that part of the situation, and now it was weirdly uncomfortable. “They said they needed to make a— a virgin sacrifice. To appease you.”

A puzzled look appeared on the man’s face, and for a second, Kagome really feared that she would have to explain to him what a virgin sacrifice was. But then, his eyes widened in understanding, and, much to her surprise, his cheeks heated up. He glanced away from her, blushing and clearly embarrassed, which only made her feel more awkward.

“K-keh! So there’ll be no food this month?”

The question took Kagome off guard, yet again, and she was starting to realize that she really did not like that sensation. Why was she always one step behind? Something was wrong here.

“I… suppose not.”

For a few moments, there was only silence. He was crouching and glaring at her and she was trying her best to assess the situation, now that her fear was mostly gone, but she still was far from having enough information. First things first, then. Clearing her throat, she asked him about the thing that had been on her mind ever since she had felt his aura.

“You’re… not a god, are you?”

His lips curled to reveal his fangs, and his growl, which had stopped when she’d mentioned being a virgin sacrifice, picked up again.

“Are you making fun of me?”

His voice was defiant, and Kagome didn’t doubt that he would have attacked her if he hadn’t feared her powers. She swallowed as she looked him over once more. His _youki_ was extremely powerful, so she had assumed he was a demon from the beginning, but now that she was looking at him, there was only one explanation that made sense. She hadn’t even considered it before, but the ears spoke for themselves.

“You’re a half-demon,” she said slowly.

“Gotta problem with that?” he snapped.

“Everyone believes you cursed the village,” she said, shaking her head, just trying to _understand._ She didn’t know how such a mistake had been possible. She’d only ever met Kikyo a few times, but based on what she’d heard about her power, there was no way she wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference. Maybe, _maybe,_ she would have believed him to be a full demon, but she doubted even that.

“Sounds just like those assholes to blame their problems on me,” he mumbled bitterly. “Been blaming me for their priestess’s death, too.”

 _That_ caught her attention again.

“You’re Inuyasha?” she asked.

He almost jumped when she said his name, before focusing back on her. His eyes were shining dangerously, and Kagome resisted the urge to lift her hands defensively in front of herself. She didn’t want to risk escalating the situation.

“How would ya know that?”

“I was told that, on her deathbed, Kikyo said you were responsible for her final injuries.”

She watched his face crumble. The shock in his eyes, the way his lips fell. He whirled around, turning his back on her, but his reaction told her everything she needed to know. Having seen that— she couldn’t believe he had anything to do with her cousin’s death.

“She said that, huh?” he asked, voice sounding a little too loud and too clear. “Sounds just like that bitch. Keeping me her dirty little secret and stabbing me in the back last second. Nothing surprising about it.”

Kagome watched his back, silently. She didn’t know what to do. Didn’t know where she went from here.

“I’m Kagome, by the way,” she said, awkwardly.

That snapped him out of whatever emotion he was feeling, and he turned around.

“I didn’t ask,” he growled. “So ya said ya were— a sacrifice? Were ya okay with that?”

Her lower lip started to tremble, as it finally dawned on her what the men from the village had been willing to let happen to her. Whether they expected she’d be killed or— It would all have been horrible for her. The worst part was that she was pretty sure she could have been guilted into _accepting_ it.

“Well, that’s humans for ya,” the half-demon said with a shrug, able to tell what the answer was from her silence.

Kagome forced herself to breathe in, but it didn’t help. She had been _called_ to the village. They had _asked_ for her presence, and she hadn’t thought much about it. She travelled a lot, usually going where she was needed. When they had called for her, she had assumed they wanted someone powerful, given what was living in the forest. She hadn’t doubted their intentions at all. Did they know then? Had they planned this all along? Did they think of it whenever they saw her walking through the village in her robes?

Inuyasha cleared his throat, right before she lost herself completely in questions she didn’t have any answers to, and she looked at him, blinking the tears away.

“What are ya gonna do now? Going back? Are ya gonna tell them that I ain’t a god and I haven’t cursed their village?”

He was trying his best to sound detached but, judging by his previous reaction, he did count on the offerings of food, which meant he _did_ care about what her answer would be. She wanted to give him something, she did, but she didn’t know what to tell him. Even if he hadn’t killed Kikyo, he had injured numerous villagers who had ventured into the forest. She couldn’t find it in herself to feel bad for them right now, but he was still very much dangerous, even if he looked so _young_ and _normal._ He could probably feel her _reiki,_ and that might be why he hadn’t done anything to her yet. He might very well be waiting for her to lower her defenses to strike.

“I don’t know,” she admitted regardless, voice weak. “I can’t say I really _want_ to go back there.”

The silence that followed was heavy and uncomfortable. Kagome wrapped her arms around her knees, pressing them against her chest, and finally let the _reiki_ dissipate in the air. She would be able to summon more energy if needed, but it didn’t look like it. For now, at least.

“I guess ya can sleep here,” Inuyasha finally said, reluctantly. “’s not much, but it’s warmer than outside, and demons don’t come here.”

She could understand why. The air was infused with his _youki,_ clearly marking the place as his territory. It made sense that other demons wouldn’t want to challenge him.

“…I think that would be for the best,” she said.

His reaction was less than enthusiastic. He sighed, obviously considering retracting his offer, then pointed at the hut with his chin.

“C’mon.”

Kagome pushed herself up, wincing at the sudden wave of pain that shot through her head, where she had been hit. If Inuyasha noticed it, he didn’t show it. In only a few large strides, he was in front of the hut, pushing the curtain that served as a door.

“You comin’ or what?”

Well, even if he didn’t kill her, he was pretty insufferable, Kagome decided as she followed him, walk a little wobbly.

The hut consisted of one room, with no furniture whatsoever. In a corner, there was some straw and what looked like a blanket, laying directly on the earth, and that was about it. It was not, by any means, comfortable, and Kagome found herself almost horrified at the thought that he _lived_ here. These conditions were definitely not _good._

“I told ya, it ain’t a palace or anything, but unless you wanna sleep outside, you should get your ass in here.”

Inuyasha’s annoyed voice — though Kagome was pretty sure she detected a hint of shame in there as well — finally got her to step in.

“You can sleep there,” he said, pointing at what was probably his bed.

“But what about you?” she questioned, concern filling her voice despite the fact that she wanted nothing more than to collapse on there to soothe her throbbing head.

In the darkness, with the only window in the hut being the sole source of light, she missed the suspicious glance he shot her. When he didn’t find anything in her behavior that should keep him on his guard, he merely shrugged.

“I’ll be good. I’m not like you humans, my body can handle a lot more.”

Kagome accepted his explanation, too tired to object that demons, while more resistant, still needed sleep.

“Well, if you’re fine with it…”

The only response she got was another shrug, so she slipped under the blanket and did her best to wrap herself in it. As expected, it wasn’t pleasant, but it was better than nothing. She watched as Inuyasha went to sit against the wall opposite her, putting as much distance between them as he could in this small space, and closed his eyes. She hesitated a second before rolling around, turning her back to him. Maybe it wasn’t the smartest decision, as she wouldn’t see him coming if he attacked her, but she knew she’d hate it if someone watched her as she slept.

Even with her exhaustion, sleep wouldn’t come to her, and the pain did not help. After a while, she rolled over again, attempting to find a better position to sleep. When she moved, she saw his eyes opening. It lasted less than a second, just long enough for her to see a golden flash, but it told her that he was keeping track of her actions.

It seemed that he was as weary of her as she was of him. The thought was almost reassuring. She wouldn’t attack him, unless he did first, and if he felt the same, well, they were both probably safe.

And with that thought, Kagome was finally able to find sleep.

* * *

When she stepped out of the hut in the morning, Kagome at least felt a little better. Her head still hurt, and the cut on her cheek stung, but she assumed she would be okay. The first thing she did was to examine her surroundings, something she hadn’t been able to do when she’d arrived at night.

There was something surreal about being here, in the middle of a forest she’d been told was inhabited by dangerous monsters since she’d arrived, and to see that it was, actually, a really normal place. The sun was shining bright in the sky, the birds were chirping in the trees. Today was looking like a beautiful day.

Looking around, she realized the hut was by a lake, in an enclosed area surrounded by cliffs. There was a small waterfall just a little further, making the river the only easy way out, though she assumed Inuyasha had other ways. The scenery was idyllic, in stark contrast with everything she’d imagined about the forest. Sure, she could feel _youki_ all around her, even with Inuyasha’s so present, and she couldn’t forget that this place clearly wasn’t inhabited by humans, but it was all so… peaceful.

She heard a noise above her, and was startled when Inuyasha simply jumped down from a cliff. He landed with a grunt, and she took her chance to examine him as he pushed himself back up as though he hadn’t fallen from at least ten meters.

She hadn’t noticed in the night that he was dressed entirely in red, and that was not the only way he looked very different in the daylight. He went from a mythical being to— a person, simply put. She noted his sharp jaw, the hard glint in his eyes, the frown that she doubted ever left his face. When his eyes turned towards her, she glanced away quickly, then berated herself for her reaction. She hadn’t done anything _wrong._

“Hey!” Inuyasha yelled at her, “I got some food for ya!”

Joining her, he hastily handed her some fruits.

“It ain’t much, but ’s all the forest gives at this time of the year,” he explained.

“It’s fine,” Kagome replied, forcing herself to smile. “Thank you for that.”

A look of suspicion passed on his face, and he had to bite back a comment. He didn’t like her behavior, not one bit. People were never nice to him. He definitely expected her to try some shady shit. Maybe she wanted something from him. He couldn’t figure out what for the love of him, but that would explain that ‘virgin sacrifice’ story she’d told him. After all, he’d never _asked_ for that. Surely, those guys weren’t twisted enough to get that in their mind without any suggestion?

Keh. All things considered, he wouldn’t put it past them.

Humans couldn’t be trusted, after all.

“You should try to wash yourself,” he said bluntly as she bit down on a pear. “You reek.”

In fact, she smelled like animal blood. That was why he hadn’t been able to tell she was in that bag. Which was definitely weird and—

 _“Excuse me?”_ she protested, eyes wide. “I’m _so_ sorry I didn’t have time to wash myself before I was given as a _sacrifice,_ you—”

Was she insane? Did she think that, just because she was a priestess, there’d be nothing he could do to her?

“Whatever, wench,” he growled. “Should probably take care of your clothes, too, ‘cause it ain’t any better.”

Kagome didn’t think she’d ever been so insulted. It took a _lot_ of her self-control not to shoot some _reiki_ at him. She tried to tell herself that he had helped her so far, and that it was probably a bad idea, but damn if it wasn’t _tempting._ She folded her arms on her chest, self-consciously tightening her clothes around her.

“And what am I supposed to wear then, you _pervert?”_

The way his eyes widened as color rose to his cheeks his face told her that he had not considered that difficulty.

“That’s not what I— Ah, fuck.”

He quickly got rid of his _haori_ and pushed it in her hands.

“Just get it done. I’ll be— around. Scream if a demon starts eating you alive or— something.”

With that, he was gone, and Kagome was the first surprised when she felt a grin lift the corner of her lips. She’d been told before that she trusted too easily, clearly she had, and perhaps this was another one of those situations, but Inuyasha just seemed weirdly… inoffensive. She didn’t doubt that he _could_ be dangerous, however it was also strangely easy to forget.

Shaking her head, she walked to the lake, and found a place where she would be hidden by rocks to take off her clothes, before taking a deep breath and plunging in.

It was the middle of spring, and the water was biting cold, which didn’t stop her from immersing herself completely. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, Inuyasha _was_ right about her needing a bath. She didn’t think she reeked — _jerk_ —, but she didn’t think she smelled great either. She took the time to rub her body energetically, then to rinse and disentangle her hair. She was almost done and was about to start working on her clothes when she felt a disturbance in the forest’s _youki._

She only had the time to look up before a giant centipede, with a woman’s chest and head, came out of the woods, screeching in a high-pitched voice. Instinctively, Kagome tried to reach for her bow and arrows, only to find them missing. She didn’t have time for anything else, so she moved as though she did have them at her disposal. With only her mind, as the Centipede was closing in on her, already opening its mouth wide enough to swallow her whole in one bite, she shot a _reiki_ arrow.

The shot was unfocused, difficult to maintain, and it wasn’t nearly as efficient as an actual arrow would have been, but the creature was close enough that there was no way she could have missed it. Fortunately, purification was her strong suit, and the Centipede was destroyed in an inhumane scream.

Kagome remained there, trembling, frozen in place, unable to comprehend what had just happened. She was still immobile when Inuyasha burst into the clearing, jumping in the water in front of her, fully clothed.

“What the hell was that? What—”

His eyes widened and he spun around, though not quite quickly enough for her to miss the blush forming on his cheeks. Kagome slowly realized, while staring at his back, puzzled by his reaction at first, that it was because she was naked. That finally got her to move, and she wrapped herself in his _haori,_ hands shaking so hard that she had to try several times before she made it.

She forced herself to breathe in. She’d fought and killed demons before. Sure, this time she’d been taken completely off guard, and she didn’t have her weapons here, but still. She’d been through worse. She couldn’t let this affect her that much.

“Wash your clothes,” Inuyasha ordered, though the effect was undercut by the fact that his back was still turned to her. “I’ll be closer, ‘kay?” Then, after a moment of awkward silence, he added “Good job on that one”, and took off as fast as he had the last time.

Kagome didn’t even have it in herself to protest his manners right now. She started to wash her priestess garment, with regular movements that she had done a hundred times before. Still, the Centipede’s scream kept replaying in her mind, and she couldn’t seem to shake off that horrible feeling she’d had when she had realized that her bow wasn’t there.

Despite all her efforts, her hands didn’t stop shaking.

* * *

Inuyasha watched the woman from above. Seeing his _haori_ on her shoulders made him feel— weird, to say the least. He hadn’t expected her natural scent to be so pleasant for his nose, and he knew his clothes would definitely smell like her afterwards. Right now, though, the aroma from the mix of their scents was having more of an effect on him than he’d have wanted it to. Stupid demonic instincts…

It would probably only get worse if she chose to stay. He didn’t have much experience in that domain, because he hadn’t been in contact with many dog demons, or not for a long time, but it was likely he’d start to consider her part of his pack. Which meant he’d feel protective of her. Get attached to her.

He sat up with a growl at that thought. He knew he should have wanted her to leave, if only to avoid that. _She_ was human, after all. She wouldn’t have the same instincts as him, and judging on how easy it had apparently been for Kikyo to stab him in the back, he didn’t have many hopes for that one.

Keh. He couldn’t believe Kikyo would have done something like that to him. He’d— Fuck, he didn’t know if he’d _loved_ her, not when they’d spent so long openly distrusting each other, but saying _that,_ on her deathbed? She’d really done him dirty.

And it sucked, because he hadn’t been able to mourn her. He’d been preparing himself to meet her, in the clearing when they found each other, when it had happened. It was like a refuge for them, a place where they just— sat, next to each other, and talked, ignoring their differences. She spoke a lot about not wanting to be a priestess anymore. He listened, mostly. Let her daydream out loud about a world where they’d both be simple humans. _Normal._

It had almost made him want that, too.

But Kikyo had died, and the villagers had tried to kill him, almost succeeding that night, because they’d taken him by surprise, and he’d been all alone once more.

He swallowed, risking another glance at the new priestess. He should have gotten rid of her as soon as he’d realized she was a— a person. Should have made sure she wouldn’t be able to guide anyone to this place, and shouldn’t have looked back. However, even though she clearly viewed him as a threat, judging by that first shot of _reiki_ she’d fired at him, she hadn’t commented on the fact that he was a half-demon. Her gaze had lingered on his ears, but outside of that, she hadn’t shown she was even a _ware_ of the implications of his status, something humans were usually very keen on reminding him.

That had gotten him… curious. Not hopeful, he didn’t do that anymore, but if she proved to be somewhat interesting, if she could dull the loneliness, even just a bit… Let’s say he wouldn’t be _opposed_ to her presence.

He’d been alone for almost as long as he could remember. The memories of his mother had been fading, and he now tried his best not to think about it, because he couldn’t take that her face wasn’t as clear in his mind as it used to be. He clung to her scent, which he still knew, but he didn’t have much else, and when that’d be gone— He’d have nothing left. He knew it was stupid, to try to make new memories, hadn’t worked well with Kikyo and wouldn’t work with that one either, and yet he couldn’t help but _try._

He could take being alone, had for years. He couldn’t take not having a single good thing, a single good person to remember. He just couldn’t.

Down there, the priestess was done with her washing and had laid her clothes on a rock, waiting for them to dry, and he decided that was his cue to go back down.

She jumped when he landed next to her. In other circumstances, he might have found that funny, but right now, he was just satisfied with her reaction. She _should_ be afraid. This place was deadly, and ignoring it wouldn’t do her any good. If she was on her guards, it was all for the better. As long as she didn’t zap him with her _reiki,_ at least.

“Is everything okay?” she asked, frowning, when he didn’t talk immediately.

Yeah. Fine. Just, there was this weirdly childish part of him that liked to imagine that she wouldn’t remember she was supposed to choose whether to leave or to stay today, and that she’d just end up… Well. Staying.

Like she could fucking forget something like that.

“’s all good. You?”

She shivered at the question, but quickly caught herself.

“I’m… fine. I didn’t think a demon would come here. Your _youki_ is pretty powerful. I thought it would keep them at bay.”

“It usually does,” he replied, shrugging off her concern. “Could be ‘cause they smelled the blood, or ‘cause you’re a new smell. Some find _reiki…_ tasty, I guess.”

She threw him a horrified glance, and he took offense at that.

“Calm the fuck down. I don’t eat people. Would be shit if you taste as bad as you smell anyway.”

Kagome rolled her eyes, reminding herself that she should _not_ waste her energy on getting offended because this jerk implied she would taste bad. It just was not worth it.

“Men at your village did that?” he asked, pointing at the injury on the side of her head.

She had done her best to clean it, and she didn’t think the wound was infected. It still throbbed painfully, and it couldn’t possibly look good, but there was not much she could do about it right now.

“They did,” she replied, mouth dry. “They knocked me out before… You know.”

He did, and it still didn’t sit right with him. He wondered if they just wanted to get rid of her and were hoping he would do the dirty work for them, or if there was something else underneath it all, but he just couldn’t come up with an answer.

“So? You gonna go back there or what?”

She flinched, suddenly snapped out of her thoughts, and Inuyasha cursed himself. He was supposed to approach the subject carefully — or, ideally, not at all — and that just wasn’t the way to do it. Especially since he had this irrational wish that she would stay.

“Well, I clearly can’t for the moment,” she said, finally. “My clothes are drying, and I don’t think I feel well enough to travel. But…”

Inuyasha’s ears had perked up, which was pretty pathetic in his opinion, but at least she hadn’t noticed. That wasn’t definitive, not by any means, but it was _something,_ right? If she stayed for a few days, he could perhaps— pretend. Pretend she was something for him that he could never even hope for. Pretend that, maybe, she didn’t feel sick and disgusted from being in his presence.

“But?”

“I just— I have nothing here. I’m not talking about the food, you can clearly find those things, even without the offering—” Inuyasha felt his chest swell with pride, as his instincts to provide for his pack kicked in. “—but there isn’t much I can do about the creatures here. I mean, I barely took down the Centipede, and you and I know it’s not the most dangerous thing to live in those woods, not by a long shot. Not to mention I don’t have herbs to take care of my wounds, or…”

“I know where herbs humans like grow,” Inuyasha interrupted her. “Can’t help you with picking them, don’t really know the difference between ‘em, but I can take ya there. I can go steal stuff from the village, too, but if you’re talking ‘bout your bow, I don’t think I’d make it to the temple. That’s usually under heavy guard.”

Kagome frowned, but nodded.

“I suppose I could learn to focus my _reiki_ without it. It’s doable, in practice. If you know where herbs grow, that would be _great,_ though.”

Inuyasha couldn’t help but think that there was something weird in the way she spoke to him. He was vaguely aware that it was because she talked to him _normally,_ without calling him a monster, a half-breed, or an abomination every sentence, but there was something other than that. He couldn’t identify it as respect — he hadn’t been faced with it enough — however he could hear the underlying kindness in it.

That definitely played a role in him letting her stay, in walking her to the spot where herbs grew, later in the day, and in waiting around to make sure she wouldn’t get in trouble. It was rather nice, to have someone talking to him like that, he wasn’t gonna complain, that was for sure, and yet…

There was also something worrying about it. If she kept it up, it would probably get harder to endure the way others spoke to him, so, when he recognized it for what it was, he told himself he shouldn’t get used to it.

But fuck if he didn’t want to.

* * *

Days passed. Kagome was healing slowly but, though she appreciated not feeling pain every time she got up anymore, the idea was more worrying than pleasant to her. Every time she thought about it, and about going back to the village, she felt a pit in her stomach. She hated it. She had always lived to help others, devoted herself to it body and soul.

And they had betrayed her so easily.

She didn’t think she would be able to change her behavior, even after that. She knew herself well enough to be able tell that if someone was in danger, she would jump in without a second thought. She spontaneously took action for others. It was just who she was, what she did.

Now though, the thought of doing this for them was actively sickening. The thought that they would use her, would take advantage of her again, and the knowledge that she probably wouldn’t be able to stop them— it hurt in so many ways. She didn’t _want_ to be the type of person who couldn’t trust. It was— She believed people were _good._ Maybe not entirely, and maybe they hadn’t always been, to her and to others, but all in all, she thought everyone deserved her help, her kindness. If they talked to her about their issues, she wanted to be able to listen to them and to believe them.

The idea that she might not be able to do that anymore was soul-crushing.

Inuyasha, as it turned out, wasn’t of much help when it came to her moral dilemma, and she hated that he had been the first recipient of her new-found mistrust. He didn’t deserve that. Clearly, he had been through enough already.

Not that he had talked to her about it. In general, they didn’t talk much. She’d tried to engage in some conversations, but he’d shrug her off quickly, take off in the woods, or close his eyes, leaning against the wall of his hut. She knew he could probably still hear her, because there was no way he fell asleep that fast, but she got the message, loud and clear.

It didn’t mean there was no communication between them, though. It wasn’t much, and he certainly didn’t make any grand gestures, but if she mentioned something, he’d make sure she would get it. It generally manifested in food, but he also stole some items she’d brought up. She knew she should have said something then, but she hadn’t found it in herself to berate him.

“Thank you,” she’d just said, genuinely grateful.

“Keh. If it can get you to stop talking my ears off, it’ll have been worth it.”

But she was starting to be able to read him, and even if his arms were folded on his chest, and he was frowning, she knew that when his ears perked up that way, it meant he was happy about the attention.

It was the cutest thing ever.

“You shouldn’t put yourself in danger by going to the village, though,” she’d added, genuine worry piercing in her voice. “I can make it without these. I really don’t want you to get hurt because of me.”

As most of their conversations, it had ended abruptly, with him rolling his eyes and growling “Whatever” before running off in the forest, and she’d let out a long sigh. Just _once,_ she would have liked not to feel like a complete nuisance when she talked to him. Was that really too much to ask?

It wasn’t even like they could avoid each other completely, otherwise she would have given him as much space as he wanted. Instead, they lived together, in a really small space. He had taken to sleeping regularly outside, and when she’d voiced her concerns, because she really, _really_ didn’t want to push him out of his living space, he had vaguely replied that he did that before she was here, that he liked sleeping in trees, and that she was overestimating her own importance.

Another extremely fulfilling conversation.

So Kagome had done her best to use the same language as him. She couldn’t be as silent as him, because she was the type of person to express herself vocally, and not with growls and grunts, but she could pick herbs and fruits, even if she still didn’t stray far from the hut, and she could kill small demons. So that was a start.

She did her best to pay attention to him silently, to avoid scaring him off, which wasn’t simple for her. It was obvious that he was used to a rough existence. There was no hidden softness in him. Whether in his body, all muscles and bones, or in his behavior, he seemed to treat everything with the same harshness, including himself. It was that very harshness that came out when he was talking to her. That became a lot easier to accept once she realized that it was just who he was and that it was very likely that he hadn’t received anything else.

She wanted to _show_ him something else.

That turned out not to be such an easy task. He always pushed her away when she tried to show him kindness. She didn’t know if he just really didn’t like her, or if it made him uncomfortable for some reason. She didn’t want to impose anything on him, she just wanted him to know. Not everything needed to be so hard all the time.

When she was coming back from picking fruits, she found him knees deep in the lake, and chest bare. It wasn’t the first time, and she was pretty sure he had caught glimpses of her naked as well. Normally, she would have been uncomfortable with it, but her attachment to privacy had greatly diminished recently, so she just watched him from the corner of her eyes, absent-mindedly noticing his toned chest.

She heard him groaning in annoyance as he attempted to untangle his hair. His claws seemed to be doing a pretty good job at that, but it still looked like an unpleasant experience. She winced in sympathy for him, and then the idea hit her.

“Do you want me to brush your hair?” she asked, words leaving her mouth before she had really decided whether or not it was a _good_ idea.

The look he gave her told her that it definitely wasn’t one. Yet, because she just didn’t know when to quit, she insisted.

“You got me a brush, remember? That would be a lot easier, and _I_ would actually see what I’m doing.”

Inuyasha glared at her, and Kagome swallowed. She was pretty sure that was an argument she’d just lost. It was obvious, from the look in his eyes, that he was doubting her. Well, it would just be another failure to add to her list. No big deal, fine, whatev—

“Okay. But if you try anything funny, I’ll tear off your hand.”

“That’s great!” she beamed. “Just give me a second to get the brush!”

He was still eyeing her suspiciously when she came back, and she wondered what he thought she would do. Beat him to death with the brush?

She sat on a rock, and he took place between her legs, back turned to her. He tilted his head, and she got to work, an inexplicable grin forming on her lips. His hair was surprisingly smooth and silky between her hands, and it was a pleasant feeling underneath her fingers. After the first tense minutes, Inuyasha started to relax. His shoulders fell down, and she heard him taking in a deep breath, followed by a long exhale.

Her movements were slow, careful. Soft. Evidently, he didn’t mind the treatment.

“Can I touch your ears?” she asked, curious, after a while. She had wondered about them since she had first seen him.

“Don’t pull on ‘em,” he mumbled back, voice almost slurred, as though he was falling asleep.

She decided to take that as a yes. Hesitantly, she reached to take one in her hand, and let out a small exclamation when she found it feeling like real fur. Not just that, but it was pleasantly pliable, and she had to actively resist an urge to play with it.

 _Don’t, Kagome,_ she told herself. She didn’t want him to push her away _again._

But Inuyasha didn’t say anything as she massaged them. Instead, he let out what she thought was a contented sigh.

“So,” he said, still with that half-asleep voice, “your injury’s better. Are ya, y’know, going back there? Have ya made your mind ‘bout that?”

Kagome froze and let go of his ears. She cleared her throat awkwardly as she took back the brush and got back to taking care of his hair.

“I’m in no hurry,” she admitted, voice small. “Why, do you want to get rid of me that bad?”

She had intended to say it as a joke, but it sounded desperate instead.

Inuyasha’s long silence after that only made her feel worse. If he was trying to find a nice way to say it, it was more than she had expected. She thought she would only receive bluntness in response, but she could take him at least not wanting to hurt her feelings too badly.

“…nah,” he said, so low she almost missed it. “Y’can stay a while longer. Or a lot longer. I don’t mind.”

That almost had her dropping her brush.

“Really?” she asked in disbelief. “You told me I was breathing too much of your air.”

“Didn’t mean that.”

“You said if I hurt myself when picking fruits, you’d me get eaten by the wolves.”

“I wouldn’t have done that.”

“You—”

“Ugh, fine, _go,_ see if I care!” he finally exploded, standing up and stepping away from her.

He found her with a bright, wide smile on her face, and his heart skipped a beat.

He didn’t know he was capable of making someone smile like that.

“I’d love to stay,” she said softly. “I just didn’t think you’d want me to.”

“Well I told ya. I don’t care.”

“Actually,” she grinned, leaning forward, “you said you didn’t _mind.”_

“I meant I didn’t care!”

“Right.”

“I _don’t_ care! I fucking mind if you’re going to be like that!”

Then Kagome bursted out laughing, and Inuyasha felt like he couldn’t breathe simply from listening to her. The laugh flew high in the sky, losing itself between the clouds, and Inuyasha felt lucky from having been there to witness that. Hearing her laugh. Certainly felt like an event in and of itself.

“Thank you,” she said, simply.

“Keh. You’re welcome.”

When she pushed herself off the rock to get up, he held out his hand for her. He didn’t know why he did, certainly couldn’t find a good reason, but he did anyway.

She took it without any hesitation, ignoring the calloused palms and the claws. This time, he felt like he could _finally_ breathe, like she was injecting air directly to his lungs.

He could get used to that feeling.


	2. Loyalty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day two: Loyalty

For most people, moving through a forest in total silence was near impossible. Even if they somehow managed not to rustle any leaves, didn’t make any twig crack under their feet, and succeeded in keeping their walk light, they would scare birds or deers, or worse, attract the attention of demons.

Not only did the woman manage not to do any of that, but she made it look easy, her fluid movements a testimony to how much of a threat she was. Slipping between bushes without making a noise, she took a glance down at the lake beneath her. There, laying on a rock under the sun, was the man she was here for, completely unaware of her presence. She’d placed herself under the wind, she wasn’t making a sound— she was unnoticeable. She wished it had made her feel powerful, but it just gave her the sickening feeling of being a predator, the type that she had devoted her life to hunting.

She hesitated on the procedure to follow. She was itching to reach for the oversized boomerang strapped to her back, but if she threw it from that distance, she considered it a given that he would hear it coming and be able to dodge it. If he tried to deflect it, which was equally likely in her opinion, it could play in her favor. The Hiraikotsu, being made of the bones of demons, had many interesting properties.

She was still weighing the pros and cons when a flock of birds flew away from right above her. The demon jumped to his feet instantly, and even from this distance, she could tell he was looking in her direction and sniffing the air. She plunged behind a bush, heart hammering in her chest, hand tightening around her weapon. She was prepared for an attack, she always was, but that didn’t mean she felt no fear.

After a few moments, the demon seemed to shrug it off, and she allowed herself to take in a deep breath, before turning around slowly, a dangerous glow shining in her eyes.

Behind her, the man responsible for the previous agitation didn’t even have the decency of looking sorry. Instead, he gave her a smile, that stupidly warm smile that made her skin tingle.

“Oops?”

That was it. Having worked so hard, for so long, to keep her composure at any given second, to keep her emotions under control, meant nothing at that moment. That one word was enough to break the carefully crafted dam.

“Do you have a death wish, monk?” she hissed through gritted teeth. “What have I told you? Any mistake can cause our deaths. That man has killed and—”

“…and he will again, sure, you’ve mentioned that once or twice,” he shrugged, with that nonchalance that drove her insane. “I am afraid you have a tendency to repeat yourself, dearest Sango. However, there are demons everywhere in this forest, and  _ they  _ must disrupt the birds. And of course, thanks to yours truly,” he curtseyed exaggeratedly, “we are protected by a barrier. He couldn’t find us if he knew we were there for sure. Which he does not.”

At this point, Sango was starting to feel a painful migraine coming, something she had gotten a little too accustomed to since she had started to work with Miroku. At least the monk was good at what he did, but after every single job they took together, she wondered if the price to pay was really worth it.

“No, but now, he knows something’s near,” she explained, “and he’ll be suspicious.”

Miroku looked above her shoulder, down at the half-demon.

“He looks like he is sleeping. Not the most suspicious attitude, if you ask me.”

“I didn’t,” Sango replied dryly. “Because you know nothing about those things.” A glance, and her worries were confirmed. Sure, his eyes were closed, and she couldn’t see much from here, but there was a tension to his body, in his legs and shoulders, that she recognized immediately. “He knows there’s  _ something.  _ We need to move.”

She walked past him, and Miroku rolled his eyes when she did, struggling to follow after her. His robes weren’t adequate for this mission, and even if he tried, which, admittedly, he hadn’t been doing earlier, there was no way he could be as silent as her. Hadn’t he had his eyes on her back, he wouldn’t have known the woman was there, and she was only a couple of meters away from him.

“I don’t know why you bother. We will not have the element of surprise here. We cannot approach him without him noticing. Even with the barrier—”

“I’m  _ aware,  _ Miroku,” she said, waving her hand dismissively. “But that does not mean we want him to know we’re here before we’re ready to take him on.”

Hm. To be fair, that did make sense.

“The most efficient way to get there is through the river,” Sango reasoned out loud. “If we climb down, he’ll definitely hear us coming and we will be at a disadvantage. Water should cover our scents and the river should be loud enough that he won’t hear us, as long as we’re not  _ too  _ obvious about it. Of course, he’ll know as soon as we enter the basin, but that is the best we can manage. Think you can handle it?”

Miroku nodded, determination steeling his face, and Sango almost sighed in relief. When he took things seriously, which did not happen often, he was capable of being very efficient. He was easily distracted even then, sure, but his talents allowed him to make him through almost any situation. As long as no beautiful woman entered his sight line, they should be good. He became simply  _ unbearable  _ when he was around women.

“Sango, I’m sure I have mentioned this already, but did you know you truly have the most marvelous a—”

“You’ve seen the Hiraikotsu tear through thousands of demons, monk. What makes you think your skull stands a better chance?”

The dangerous edge in her tone didn’t go unnoticed, and Miroku chose to stay quiet after that. It was no doubt the smartest choice here, but it almost pained him not to voice his thoughts out loud.

She had the most marvelous ass he’d ever seen.

* * *

Inuyasha laid peacefully by the lake, one feet casually moving in the water, enjoying the sun. Today had been a good day so far. There were left over fruits from the day before, which meant he didn’t have to go out early for breakfast, and had been able to stay a little longer in the cabin that was now filled with Kagome’s scent, something he fiercely refused to admit he enjoyed as much as he did.

Kagome had stuck around for a while after that, and he appreciated her presence by his side. She had taken to weaving straw to try and make mattresses for the two of them. It was far from being her specialty, and the process was slow, but he liked that she was doing it. It meant — it had to mean — that she was planning on staying after all, right?

As always, the activity had started out real quiet, and then, after a while, she hadn’t been able to stop herself from talking. He enjoyed watching how long she managed to hold on until she finally gave in. He wasn’t the biggest fan of her chatter, but he did like her voice, liked how natural it was, how it made him feel. It was really— it was a really normal activity, wasn’t it? If he’d lived in the village, he would probably get in those types of conversations. He wouldn’t like it all that much, but it wasn’t unpleasant to think about every once in a while.

They’d eaten together, and he’d entertained her when she had asked him questions about the forest. She treaded carefully when it came to his past, and it was almost funny to watch her try her damn best to be as sensitive as possible. She’d left not long after, climbing up a part of the basin that formed an admittedly unpractical staircase, and he’d enjoyed his peace and quiet since then.

Well. Somewhat.

It wasn’t like he missed her when she was gone, but things were a little  _ too _ quiet ‘round here when she wasn’t there.

His eyes snapped open at a whistling sound and he jumped to the side, just in time to avoid the huge, white object that had been hurled at him. Up in the air, he identified it as a boomerang. His mind started to piece together what was happening: the object had to have been thrown by  _ someone,  _ someone that he needed to locate real fast unless he wanted to—

Something hit him in the back, knocking him into the lake.

“Fuck!” a woman’s voice yelled as he pierced the surface.

Under the water, Inuyasha snarled, struggling furiously to get rid of the projectile that was sending jolts of electricity through his entire body. The feeling wasn’t unlike the first time he’d met Kagome, or what Kikyo’d do if she thought he was getting too close, in the beginning, and for one terrifying second, he wondered if he’d been betrayed.

But the power diminished and, once it was exhausted, the object fell down into the water _. T _ he thought vanished from his mind, leaving him with only one concern: how to survive in this situation.

“We can’t let him leave our sight, monk!” the voice hissed angrily above him, further confirming his opponents were unknown.

“Apologies, Sango dearest,” a man said, voice deep and even, “though considering what I hit him with, I doubt he’ll be able to do much when he comes out.”

Did he really believe that? Hah. He wouldn’t know what hit him.

“Yeah, yeah. Just be ready.”

The woman didn’t sound as confident as the man, Inuyasha noted, but he did have the advantage now. They didn’t know where he was, and they thought him to be diminished. He didn’t stop to think about what was going on, or why they were there. All that mattered now was to make use of that advantage, and he intended to do just that.

He darted out of the water in their direction, unable to locate them precisely without his senses.

Everything happened in a second. The air around the pair crackled with  _ reiki,  _ then shattered, and the black-haired man fell back with a grunt, but Inuyasha only had eyes for the woman. His claws were  _ just _ about to tear into her when the boomerang appeared between them, seemingly out of nowhere. He met her dark eyes, where he didn’t find any particular emotion. No anger, no hatred. Just determination.

He hit the boomerang, and it was like he had just ran into a wall. The force of the impact sent him flying back a few meters. When he landed, he was disoriented, and his entire arm felt numb. He wasn’t too worried abut any injury, but it meant he couldn’t risk getting in contact with her weapon again. That wasn’t good.

She flexed her hands, and he knew she was itching to attack. Still, she wasted precious seconds to glance at her companion.

“Everything okay, Miroku?”

The mask covering her mouth made her voice sound hollow, yet Inuyasha could hear worry breaking through. It left a bitter taste on his tongue. It was easy to imagine the people who hunt him as mindless, emotionless assholes. Knowing they did have those feelings, were capable of concern for others and just— just denied it to him…  _ That _ was difficult.

The man grunted in reply, pushing himself up with the help of his staff.

“The  _ ofuda  _ should have taken him down,” he commented, panting. “Something’s wrong there, Sango.”

“Not for long,” she replied, narrowing her eyes at Inuyasha.

“I’m not sure—”

But she was running already. And Inuyasha was ready for her.

She swung the boomerang in front of her, and he dodged out of the way, just out of reach. As expected, she lost her balance when the huge weapon didn’t hit him. He grabbed her arm, pulling her forward, and punched, hard, in her stomach. There was a muffled groan and she fell to her knees, propping herself up with the weapon she hadn’t let go of.

Inuyasha wasn’t done. He tore the boomerang out of her hands, throwing it to the side. He noted how heavy for him, and he suspected there was something magical at play, but that was not a consideration he could waste time on right now. With a powerful kick, he threw her back to the man she had come with.

She got up almost immediately, supported by the monk. Clearly, she had fighting experience.

Again. Not good.

“Together,” she said, voice strained with pain.

Without exchanging a word, they charged, and Inuyasha knew he was in deep shit. On their own, he was pretty sure he could take them. Right now, though, even as he got in fighting position, he could see her drawing a dagger, and he knew that between his  _ ofudas  _ and her attacks, he likely wouldn’t stand a chance.

There was only one thing he could think of.

He was about to dig his claws in his chest to draw blood when the ground between him and the pair exploded.  _ Reiki  _ crackled in the air, a feeling that was starting to get a little too familiar — but didn’t hurt him.

“Step back!” Kagome’s voice shouted from behind him.

She was unbelievably relieved when they obeyed her, coughing and raising their hands defensively.  _ Reiki  _ couldn’t have hurt them too bad, but its energy was based on intention, and she certainly intended for it to be an unpleasant experience. Right now, though, all she wanted to do was check on Inuyasha.

She ran to him, heart hammering in her chest, and missed the incredulity in his eyes when her hands cradled his face as she tried to find any injury.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“K— ‘m fine,” he said, wrapping his fingers around her wrists in a surprisingly gentle motion.

He brought her hands down, but didn’t let go of her wrist. It was small and fragile in his hand, and yet it gave him some— some comfort. Her soft skin, her warmth… He liked it. His jaw tensed when she moved, but when she took his hand in hers, squeezing it briefly, he felt fear draining out of him.

With her by his side, he could take on anything.

He stepped in front of her in a protective manner and glared at the two, who were staring at her in disbelief.

“I’m giving you one chance to get the fuck out of my sight,” he growled.

That was dangerous and stupid. They could tell anyone where he lived, and there was no way that would end well for him — and Kagome. At best, they’d have to move, if she was willing to go through the trouble . At worse, he’d be killed, and she’d go back to the village.

He wondered if that was the worse case scenario for her as well.

“There has been a mistake,” the man said.

The woman nodded, still staring at Kagome. Lifting her hands, she removed the mask, and took a deep breath when it fell off.

“We were told you’d murdered two priestesses,” she stated bluntly, turning her eyes to Inuyasha. “We were here to stop you, but clearly…”

“Don’t know how to make your research?” he mocked her, though the sentence had felt like a punch to the gut.

The woman seemed annoyed, but she still averted her eyes. Shame burned her cheeks. Demon slayers  _ didn’t _ make that kind of mistake. They were supposed to be better than that, better than all the stupid mercenaries and warrior monks who only acted out of hatred. They only knew how to negotiate with demons, only killed when they had to. The murder of an innocent human was generally the line not to cross. The fact that one priestess was still alive was a pretty big sign that she’d fucked up, but it didn’t mean he was innocent.

“It means you’ve only murdered  _ one _ priestess,” she bit back. “That’s one too many.”

Inuyasha stepped forward, a mix of anger, pain and tension shooting through his body. In that moment, he wanted nothing more than to tear out the bitch’s throat.

“He didn’t kill Kikyo.”

Kagome’s voice froze him on the spot. The woman’s eyes turned towards her, a deep frown in her expression.

“And how would you know?”

Despite what the man had said, she  _ had  _ done her research. The second priestess, Kagome, the one who had gotten lost in the forest and whose body hadn’t been found, had arrived months after the death of the first one. There was no way for her to have that information.

“Inuyasha told me. I believe him.”

Inuyasha exhaled a shaky breath. Kagome’s words — there was no explaining why they made him feel so much better. He shouldn’t give a fuck whether or not he was believed. Knowing he was telling the truth should have been enough on its own, and yet… And yet they gave him a relief he had never thought he would get.

Sango stared at the priestess as Miroku’s earlier words came back to her. He was correct, something was wrong there. Not just because she was here and alive, but because Inuyasha was clearly a half-demon, and not a demon. A very powerful one, sure, but anyone with any knowledge on demon would have identified him as such.

“May I ask what you’re doing there, Lady Kagome?” Miroku enquired calmly from behind her.

Kagome jumped. She had almost forgotten the woman’s companion, who had only stood there, silently observing for the past few minutes.

“They told you my name?” she asked.

“They did,” he replied with a nod. “They explained to us that you had disappeared in the forest, and that they assumed you had been killed by—” He gestured at Inuyasha. “—by the forest’s god, who they suspected to actually be a demon, but that they had not found a body. We were to bring them your remains back, if we found them.”

Kagome clenched her fists, gripping Inuyasha’s hand as tight as she could, but the half-demon didn’t say anything about it. Her strength was nothing to him, and if it could give her any form of comfort… He was happy to be there for her.

She was shaking with anger when she managed to open her mouth.

“They  _ sacrificed  _ me. They decided that to appease the forest’s god, he needed a— They called me a  _ virgin sacrifice.  _ I can’t imagine they expected me to come back but— Even if they did, why  _ should _ I?”

Even as she spoke, there was a twinge of guilt in her stomach. Maybe they needed her. There could be people who needed her remedies, her knowledge, people who had no involvement with what had happened to her, who didn’t deserve to die because of those actions.

Inuyasha’s thumb gently stroke her hand twice. The movement was brief, barely perceivable, and when she glanced at him, he wasn’t looking at her.

But it helped. Kagome took a steadying breath, and focused back on the two others. This time, they looked genuinely uncomfortable.

“I’m sorry,” the man said. “We made a mistake in targeting you, and it seems we were fed lies in order to kill you. If you want us to, we can take you back to the village. We can make sure something like that will never happen to you again.”

Kagome didn’t have to think before she shook her head.

“I don’t want to go back,” she said.

Her voice somewhat lacked resolve, some of her doubts permeating through it, but it was her decision nonetheless. She wasn’t changing her mind. Not yet.

“I don’t like what’s going on here,” the woman commented. “Your name is Inuyasha?”

“Got a problem with it?”

“Why would that first priestess say you’d killed her if you didn’t?”

Inuyasha removed his hand from Kagome’s to ball it into a fist. There was no way the woman knew anything about him and Kikyo. She couldn’t know that he’d sooner take a  _ reiki  _ shot through the heart than to think about it, or that he would have died a thousand times before laying a finger on her. She hadn’t said it to hurt him.

It still felt like someone had replaced his blood with ice.

“How should I know?”

He’d tried to sound angry, uncaring, biting, but his mouth was dry and it hurt to speak. Kagome gave him a worried look and her heart squeezed in her chest. Inuyasha shut down whenever she tried to bring Kikyo up, but she knew how much pain it brought to him, and she hated it. He had helped her so much since she’d arrived — she wanted to be able to share his burden, to help him, even if only a little.

“She’s not wrong,” she said softly. “There is something weird here. It makes no sense that they would call you  _ after  _ sacrificing me. If the goal was to get rid of Inuyasha— why wouldn’t they do it sooner? They didn’t have a priestess for months.”

The woman nodded.

“My thoughts exactly. Did you notice anything suspicious while you were there?”

Behind her, Miroku grinned. Unlike him, Sango was always straight to the point, hated any unnecessary nonsense when she was working. He found it to be extremely endearing.

Kagome shook her head in reply.

“I wasn’t there very long. I can’t imagine much gets past Mo, so start with him, maybe? I thought we got along fine, but in the end—”

She cleared her throat. She didn’t like to think about that night.

“Thank you,” the slayer said. “We will.”

Sango didn’t add anything, but she did promise herself that she would get to the bottom of this. She didn’t have much to go on yet, but her instincts were screaming at her. They were telling her that Kagome was right, that Inuyasha hadn’t killed Kikyo, and they were telling her that she had fucked up here. Badly. She knew she wouldn’t be comfortable with herself until she had made things right.

“It was an impressive shot you took back then,” Miroku said, voice light, and it was like weight fell off her shoulders. She often complained about his small talk, but sometimes, when her thoughts were that dark, she was so thankful for it. In those moments, she felt that the good things about him  _ definitely  _ outweighed the bad. “A  _ reiki  _ shot that precise without a bow and arrow, and with a demon standing in the way… That was good.”

Kagome let out a tense chuckle.

“Thank you. I didn’t think much about it. I could feel you charging your  _ ofudas,  _ and even if Inuyasha’s a half-demon, I thought— I thought it was the only thing to do.”

“Quick thinking,” he complimented her. “I cannot believe I have failed to introduce myself. I am Miroku.”

“Kagome,” she smiled. “But you know that already.”

Much to her surprise, Miroku grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips.

“Lady Kagome,” he said, “it is an absolute  _ pleasure  _ to meet you. If I may, you look simply divine and—”

A low growl started coming out of Inuyasha’s throat just as Sango smack the back of his head with her boomerang.

“Hands off,” Inuyasha snarled.

“Sorry about that,” the slayer said, pulling Miroku back. “I’m Sango, by the way. We’ll let you know if we find out anything. And— Sorry about…  _ All _ of that. The Hiraikotsu,” she tapped her weapon, “shouldn’t leave lasting damage.”

“Can I not at least say goodbye to the  _ wonderful  _ Lady Kagome?” Miroku protested weakly.

“Fuck off,” Inuyasha growled.

Sango didn’t even bother trying to reply, simply dragging him behind her.

“C’mon, monk. Let’s find out what’s wrong in this village.”

Neither Inuyasha nor Kagome moved until the two were out of sight. When they finally disappeared, Kagome let out a long breath.

“Are you hurt?” she asked, turning to face Inuyasha.

He looked away. Having so much of her attention on him, it made him feel— weird. Not necessarily in a bad way, but he still didn’t know how to handle it.

“’m good.”

“She said her weapon shouldn’t cause lasting damage, so clearly, you’ve been—”

“Drop it.”

“Just let me help, Inuyasha, I can—”

“I said I’m fine, dammit! Why would you care so much anyway?”

“Because I’m  _ worried about you!”  _ Kagome snapped. “You were attacked! They were teaming up on you when I arrived, and if we hadn’t managed to— to talk to them I don’t know what—”

She interrupted herself to swallow back her tears. In front of her, Inuyasha had gone completely still, ears pinned back against his skull, his fight or flight reflex activating. He wanted nothing more than to run away so he wouldn’t have to deal with her tears.

Shit. Shitshitshitshit. She was crying. Or, well, almost crying. He could smell the salty scent, and for some reason, it absolutely  _ horrified  _ him.

“Hey,” he said, reaching out awkwardly to put his hand on her shoulder. “I told ya. I’m fine. I just hit her— thing, and my arm felt weird, but it’s all back to normal now, ‘kay? ‘m good. You don’t need to worry ‘bout me.”

Even if the feeling was… surprisingly nice, now that he thought about it.

Kagome sniffed and nodded, but didn’t meet his eyes. All the emotions she’d forced down earlier in order to help him were surfacing, and there were a  _ lot  _ of those.

“I heard you scream,” she whispered. “And then when I arrived, you were fighting with them, and I was still on the cliff, and there was nothing I could do, and I kept thinking ‘what if I—‘”

“Y’need to breathe.”

She tried to glare at him, but it wasn’t very efficient what with the red eyes. Still, she did as he said. It wouldn’t do them any good if she fainted or something like that.

“I swear,” he repeated, “’m fine. I’ve been here a while, and it wasn’t my first fight. I think I could have taken them even if you hadn’t shown.” He gave her a smug grin. “They really were no match for me.”

He had hoped she would roll her eyes and tell him he was too arrogant, that he needed to stop bragging, but instead, she smiled.

“That’s good to know. I’m happy it was resolved without anyone dying or being severely injured, though.”

Yeah, something told him she wouldn’t have liked that his last resort attack included using his blood as a weapon. Welp, good for everybody that he hadn’t needed to do that.

“I guess you helped a little for that.”

Kagome let out a soft chuckle, and damn, it was good to hear after all this fear and tension. After he’d smelled her tears.

“Been thinking, though. Your  _ reiki…  _ didn’t hurt me.”

“I hoped it wouldn’t,” she said. “I hadn’t tried anything like that before but that energy… It reacts to what you  _ want.  _ And I didn’t want it to hurt you.”

She doubted it would have worked as efficiently had she been trying to hurt another demon, but here, she had  _ felt  _ it would be fine. Apparently, she had been right.

She didn’t notice the way Inuyasha looked at her. He would have understood if she had told him she just wanted to break up the fight and that she expected him to be collateral damage. It would have hurt, but he’d have understood. Instead, she had now  _ cried _ for him and she had stopped her  _ reiki  _ just because she  _ wanted  _ to.

Fuck.

“It looks like I’m really going to need to practice without a bow, though,” she sighed. “I guess I’ll try that tomorrow.”

He hadn’t missed her earlier reserve about going back, but the way she talked to him— it sounded like she was definitely staying. It shouldn’t have made him happy.

It did.

“I can help ya with that. I could catch small demons for you to train on.”

“What? No! I don’t want to do that!”

“You could try on me then. Use me as your target and just will your  _ reiki  _ not to hurt me.”

“Are you  _ insane?  _ That’s way too dangerous!”

He grinned. She wasn’t amused, he could tell, but this was… fun. He liked teasing her. She made it so easy and her reactions were— they were damn  _ cute. _

“’s only dangerous if you hit me. Not sure you can.”

“You’re  _ not  _ going to bait me into  _ shooting at you,  _ Inuyasha.”

She was smiling now, and it was easy, simple, light. It had been a long long time since he’d last felt like that. An eternity. Deep down, a voice told him that he should keep her at arms length, just in case she changed her mind at some point and decided to leave, but he buried it. For once in his life, he wanted to just enjoy the moment instead of expecting the worst. When he managed to get the voice to shut up, it immediately felt like the sun shone brighter, warmer.

It still wasn’t as dazzling as Kagome’s smile.

* * *

“Are you sure you want to investigate the situation more?” Miroku asked, lifting an eyebrow. “We don’t owe them anything, and I do not think we will get paid for this. We could just leave.”

Sango shook her head. Miroku’s proposition was tempting, she’d give him that, but it was also the easy way out. It was not the path she chose to walk.

“We almost murdered an innocent man,” she replied. “We don’t  _ do  _ that, and I won’t have people telling those stories about my family. We need to make this right.”

Miroku let out a long sigh. He didn’t worry about those things. He, personally, had no problem telling someone their house was haunted in order to get a good night of sleep there, all expenses paid. Sango, on the other hand, refused to let that slide, and always insisted to pay their host. He could appreciate that in her but sometimes, she was just trying too hard. She didn’t  _ need _ to carry everything on her shoulders. Life could get much easier, much more  _ fun,  _ if she’d only let it.

“You don’t have to stay, though,” she said. “You can go back to the village, and I’ll meet you there once I’m done. I know this isn’t your favorite thing.”

Miroku didn’t even consider it.

“I’m staying with you.”

“Thanks,” she replied, a smile in her voice.

Miroku’s eyes softened, in a way they never did. As always when that happened, though, Sango wasn’t looking at him, and she had no idea he was showing such emotions.

“Anything,” he replied softly.

And he meant it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand chapter two's here! I hope you're liking it so far, and, with Miroku and Sango having shown up, that you like my take on them! Thank you for your kind words and for the kudos, it means a lot, and feel free to let me know what you think about this chapter :) It was also beta-read by the wonderful sweetchcolate!

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! This is what I'm working on for Inukag week, it will be a seven chapters fic with each chapter based on the prompt of the day. Unfortunately, I don't have everything ready (...I really don't) and I won't post everything this week, but hopefully it still won't take too long to complete. This first chapter was beta-read by the amazing sweet-chcolate on Tumblr. I hope you've enjoyed it, please leave a comment, let me know your thoughts about it, and I will see you soon!


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